Ukraine forecasts significant rise in meat exports

Ukraine will significantly increase exports of all kinds of meat in 2014, with the most significant growth coming from exports of pork, according to yearly forecasts.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food forecast for 2014 predicted that the volume of meat production in Ukraine will reach 2.47 million tonnes (t) this year, 3.3% more than in 2013. The ministry predicted that meat exports would by 8.1% year-on-year in 2014 to 200,000.

Ukraine beef exports are expected to reach around 25,000t, which would be equivalent to 2013 exports, while pork exports are expected to increase by more than 71.4% year-on-year to 12,000t and poultry exports are forecast to hit 160,000t, up 6.6% on 2013 levels.

“Ukraine already has a number of stable sales markets for its meat products. But we must understand that every year our [meat] production is growing, so we are working to increase the number of target markets. We are now paying great attention to the EU market – and, in particular, we are currently harmonising Ukraine veterinary legislation in accordance with EU standards,”​ commented the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Prysyazhnyuk.

Production growth, import decline​

According to the Ministry’s report, Ukraine’s beef production will remain at the same level as 2013, 400,000t, this year, while pork production will grow by 2.6% to 770,000t and poultry production will hit 1.26mt, up 5.6% year-to-year.

The report also predicted a drop in meat imports into Ukraine, stating: “We expect the volume of meat imports to Ukraine to drop by 4.6% year-on-year to 315,000t in 2014, including: 20,000t of beef, which is just as in 2013; 220,000t of pork, which is 4.3% lower than in 2013; and 70,000t of poultry, which is 6.7% lower than in 2013."​

It added that per capita meat consumption in the country would grow by almost 2% in 2013 to 56.7kg. Beef consumption will remain at the current level of 8.6kg/year, while pork will grow by 0.5% to 21.5kg/year, and poultry will increase by 4.4%, to 25.9kg/year.